The Idolatry Issue Free Dating, Singles and Personals

Joined: 12/27/2005
Msg: 1

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 11:51:07 AM
One of my main problems with all religions that are derived from the bible is the fact that one of the commandments is (and i am sure someone will point out which number it is) Thou shall not commit idolatry. Then why is jesus made into an effigy, an idol to be worship, prayed to? I have even seen the jesus action figure, hahahaha. Yeah my friend bought one. The complete commerciality of religion. Selling jesus for profit, yeah i am sure that is what this prophet intended and even died on a cross for.

Joined: 1/11/2006
Msg: 2

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 12:00:34 PM
I agree idolatory does seem to have crept into the faith. The Orthodox claim them as 'icons" rather than idols to help the believer focus on god. The RCC have a similar take. I think the true nature of idol worship is more understood by looking at Hinduism. Where a "puja" or religious ceremony is performed to "put life" in the idol, the idol then becomes empowered with the spirit of that particular aspect of the many gods they have..

Lord Dave

Joined: 11/25/2005
Msg: 3

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 12:33:37 PM
People don't worship the idol, they worship the idea behind said idol. Though I could go on a huge tangent and say that god is an alien and he didn't want the future humans to know what he looked liked because they'd know he wasn't a god, but that would just be silly.

Jimmy66

Joined: 6/5/2005
Msg: 4
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The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 1:02:00 PM
Jesus only becomes a idol if you make him one. You either worship the cross or you worship Jesus. One or the other but you can't both. Some people do get over zealous and buy all kinds of action figures and things of that nature but who are we to say what they are worshiping. Only God can judge the thoughts of men. God bless and take care, Jimmy

Blueberry

Joined: 5/14/2005
Msg: 5

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 1:27:20 PM
Christian worship Christ because we believe He is God. So that is not idolatry. However, I get what you're saying about action figures, icons, etc. and I totally agree. There are many churches that idolize physical objects, and that is indeed a sin according to the Bible. Oh, and it's the first commandment.

Joined: 12/27/2005
Msg: 6

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 1:28:47 PM
Some people worship the virgin too. worshipping a symbol? Too close to being just an idol. And what about god? Does no ones worship god? What is the cross? And yes people do worship to a statue of either a cross or jesus or the virgin or whatever. They are down on their knees with hands clasped and looking upon a big idol and worshipping. And I am not judging, I am asking a question and stating points. Thou shall not erect idols, so putting up a 10 or 20 foot statue of jesus in the front of a church to focus your worshipping on is not an idol?????

Joined: 1/11/2006
Msg: 7

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 1:38:05 PM
^^^ it may just be used as a symbol, rather than an object of worship, there is a difference I think.

flyguy51

Joined: 8/11/2005
Msg: 8
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The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 3:28:18 PM
I agree that the idolatry issue can be confusing. Some faiths, such as Catholicism, can be seen as guilty of idol worship because its definition of idolatry may be a little different. Then there is Mormonism and the Watchtower (JW), which take a very strict interpretation of idolatry, where crosses are not even welcome. I think that idolatry can be a very personal issue, as well as a denominational one. I believe we all worship something or someone, be it God or Allah, Jesus, money, power, "the porcelain god", sex, or one's spouse. Or even the Bible itself! The question we must ask ourselves is "What do I choose to worship, and is he/she/it worthy of my worship?" Cheers!

chinua

Joined: 9/30/2005
Msg: 9

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 9:50:53 PM
so why is it ok for a christian to have a statue of christ or the virgin...its called a symbol........but if other religions have statues.....it's called idoltry?

Joined: 1/10/2006
Msg: 10

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 9:57:38 PM
God wants to be worshipped for His atributes.

SweetTreat

Joined: 11/15/2005
Msg: 11
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The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/13/2006 9:58:47 PM
God wants to be worshipped for His atributes Seems kind of selfish...self centered..and jealous for God to want a person to worship them and not others..I think that's the point some are trying to make.

Joined: 12/27/2005
Msg: 12

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/14/2006 12:41:21 PM
[..... His attributes] Ok one thing needs to be recognized on all these religious forums. GOD IS NOT A PERSON! God is neither male or female. God is. And for the comment that may come back at me that jesus was a man so god is. Jesus was not god, he was a prophet of god, the son of god. He believed that god was in him as much as god is in you and me, god is in all things. God is a concept. God is all. As all gods are the embodiment of everything.

Joined: 1/10/2006
Msg: 13

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/14/2006 12:51:59 PM
God is love is an attribute. Jesus expressed who God is , I worship God for His peace He gives me . When a friend kicks dirt in my face I KNOW He loves me. If I didn`t personally know who God is I couldn`t worship Him because i would be only worshipping an idea I heard somewhere People don't worship the idol, they worship the idea behind said idol ********************************************************************** Worshipping the idea of God is worshipping an idol/

Joined: 12/27/2005
Msg: 14

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/14/2006 5:11:14 PM
Worshipping an object is idolatry. And it is the whole concept behind having to erect an object to put forth an idea. Can one not just close their eyes and worship god? Or look to the heavens and worship god. Attribute - characteristic quality. That means " 'His' peace 'He' gives me." God is not a "he". 'a strange fiction' by your way of thinking then erecting a golden cow and worshipping before it while thinking of the idea of god is not blasphemy. Or a poster of a naked woman on the wall that a man worships but is thinking of the idea of god is ok. And like you said "the idea behind the IDOL". Idol that's what it's all about. So in fact you are admitting to it being an idol. And i don't see how a friend kicking dirt in your face is love. Please, please explain.

skypoetone

Joined: 3/24/2005
Msg: 15

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/14/2006 5:35:36 PM
GOD IS NOT A PERSON! God is neither male nor female. God is. I believe this absolutely. Whatever the bible makes the Creator out to be, or what people perceive it to be. The idea of God being a man is ridiculous, Jesus on earth was a man for obvious reasons. But then he was an angle before the Creation. It's easy to see why some believe Christ was God, the trouble is if Christians don't get this right they can't hope to change anyone's views on the subject. Okay, the Idolatry issue: This problem is as old as religion itself. What is worship? It's showing adoration to and glorification of something or someone. Who do you know goes that far with a lump of wood or a piece of metal? They are just symbols for decoration, i.e. the cross around the neck, the figurine on the mantelpiece... unless you actually see someone praying to it, convinced that it has some magic powers, this is all it is. A Saint. Christopher could be said to bring luck, that's bull and that is a form of idolatry. But would you kill someone for it? Would God? Get real people!

Joined: 1/11/2006
Msg: 16

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/14/2006 8:28:31 PM
From a Hindu site :- " During puja an image or other symbol of the god serves as a means of gaining access to the divine. This icon is not the deity itself; rather, it is believed to be filled with the deity's cosmic energy. It is a focal point for honoring and communicating with the god. For the devout Hindu, the icon's artistic merit is important, but is secondary to its spiritual content. The objects are created as receptacles for spiritual energy that allow the devotee to experience direct communication with his or her gods." Some christians believe that the spiritual energy is demonic or a demon :- 1 Cor 10:19 Am I suggesting that an offering made to idols means anything, or that an idol itself means anything? Hardly! What they offer, they offer to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot eat at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons. google spiritual counterfeits project - this guy was the top western disciple of the Hindu guru Sai Baba, no not Ali Baba...

Joined: 1/10/2006
Msg: 17

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/14/2006 9:47:01 PM
I have about as much trouble understanding where your coming from. What difference he, she.it. It seems to me that all these words are nothing. Why all the dissecting? I`m sure God looks down and say`s (could He,IT,have a mouth to speak from) looks like there gonna get alot of worshipping and good deads in today. AAAHHHHH

Alive In Christ

Joined: 12/18/2005
Msg: 18
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The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/14/2006 10:22:35 PM
If Jesus is not God, then what do we do with the verse (John 10:30) where Jesus says "I and the Father are one"??? I'm also curious to know where the idea that Jesus was once an angel comes from. John 1:1 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." If you continue to read, it explain that Jesus is the Word. It does not say the Word was A god or an angel or anything else. It says the Word WAS God.

Joined: 1/11/2006
Msg: 19

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/15/2006 12:35:14 AM
More from an Hindu site, this seems to be more specific to a god or goddess in the idol :- Although many images of Hindu gods, goddesses, and saints are believed to be always filled with the spirit of the deity they represent, others are bathed and dressed to invite the deity or saint to enter the image temporarily. And :- Priests then invoke the spirit of the deity or saint depicted to enter the bronze. For the duration of the ceremony the image is thought to contain the divine being's presence. In an elaborate procession many sacred images are paraded through the streets accompanied by thousands of devotees. Hindus believe that even a glimpse of an image filled with the spirit of the god or saint facilitates a direct visual communication (darshan) with the deity

Joined: 1/10/2006
Msg: 20

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/15/2006 12:44:12 AM
Although many images of Hindu gods, goddesses, and saints are believed to be always filled with the spirit of the deity they represent, others are bathed and dressed to invite the deity or saint to enter the image temporarily. ********************************************************************I had questioned earlier , to which I got no answer, it was probably on another thread, about inviting spirits into a person. Is that at all like what your saying? I lked what you said earlier *********************************************************** 1 Cor 10:19 Am I suggesting that an offering made to idols means anything, or that an idol itself means anything? Hardly! What they offer, they offer to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot eat at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons. ********************************************************************

Joined: 1/11/2006
Msg: 21

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/15/2006 1:44:15 PM
Strange had questioned earlier , to which I got no answer, it was probably on another thread, about inviting spirits into a person. Is that at all like what your saying? Well no not exactly, whether some of the Hindu's actually invite the gods/godesses into themselves I'm not sure. Idolatory is usually in the form of dead objects. The former would be possesion of a person..Whether the former can lead to the latter is one reason that some Christians object to Yoga, as I believe most of the yogic positions are named after a Hindu deity..

Joined: 1/10/2006
Msg: 22

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/15/2006 2:02:11 PM
I don`t know how a name of something can harm . Hatha yoga is just exercise whereas other aspects of yoga involve gods.. There are a lot of Native spirit dances in this area that are very involved in possession for the pupose of their dances. One of my best friends is a Christian and her husband of 30 yrs is a spirit dancer. He`s a great guy otherwise but she has a very hard time with it.

skypoetone

Joined: 3/24/2005
Msg: 23

The Idolatry Issue Posted: 1/15/2006 3:37:26 PM
If Jesus is not God, then what do we do with the verse (John 10:30) where Jesus says "I and the Father are one"??? It's no different to saying you are in agreement with another person, i.e. like-minded but this doesn't mean in every respect. Christ came to take the sin of mankind away by offering himself as a sacrifice... totally unnecessary in my opinion. He was too good for that. Though some are of the opinion it was because he was too good that makes it all the more valid. It's sick to me. It actually makes me feel worthless and that I am not. The other point about Jesus being around at creation can be found scripturally, but I would need to find it in the bible, I don't particularly want to look for it. I'm sure there are others here who could find the appropriate passage though.